


Control

by Hazellum



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Boy we're hitting peak Rat Bastard here aren't we?, Descents into madness are fun to write, Gollum vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27069574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazellum/pseuds/Hazellum
Summary: Listen to Halsey - Control and then watch a compilation of Gollum from LoTr and thats The Vibe of this ficDo you ever just hear a song and then slam out ~2k words in under an hour? dhfadkljfhasd;lfjk
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	Control

  
  


Dib pulled the blankets over his head, trying to drown out the sounds of the vans passing outside, back and forth, over and over. They- They’d all lied to him. They- the SEN- had said it would be quick, it would be easy, Zim would be captured alive for further study. It had all been a trap. They never meant to capture Zim alive. Dib had tried to warn them about Zim’s Pak, but they hadn’t listened, and now- and now-

Dib’s train of thought was cut off by another lance of pain through his head, the migraines were only getting worse. He was lucky that that was all that was happening, so far at least. A few headaches was probably the best-case scenario, given what had happened.

Before the sun rose that morning, Dib heard a knock at his door. After a moment, his dad poked his head through the door, saying it was time to get ready for school. Mutely, Dib stood out of his bed, walking quickly over to the window to make sure there were no vans outside. Once satisfied that he was safe, he started changing into clean clothes. The ones he had on reeked, but he had been too terrified to leave the false safety of his bed to change them.

Over the coming days, Dib was a silent observer. He took whatever anyone threw at him,, and anyone watching would have thought him indifferent. This wasn’t the case; he was furious. However, he was also scared. Scared of just how angry the slightest thing made him.

He didn't notice when the fear stopped. Didn’t notice when the migraines stopped. He did notice the bone-deep ache that replaced them, the shivers and chills that joined the aching, though.

Monday was show-and-tell day, and Dib had the perfect thing to show everyone. He’d finally prove them all wrong, show that he was right all along. As he pulled the covered container behind him, he grinned. This was perfect! Those pathetic whelps would finally see his superiority!

The shrill gasps of his classmates when he dramatically unveiled the glass container, and Zim’s fully undisguised body floating within, filled him with delight. One of his classmates even vomited, which Dib thought was a bit much, but hey, it's their fault for having a weak stomach.

“Nice rubber alien, Crazy Boy!” one of them said, laughing. After only a few moments, the entire class was agreeing that Zim’s corpse was a fake. How dare they!

“It’s not fake, that’s Zim!” Dib shouted, furious. “How can you think its fake? Its literally right in front of you!” 

But they wouldn’t listen. Dib screamed reasons at them until he was hoarse, but they wouldn’t see the truth. Worse yet, they started laughing at him. Laughing and jeering, mocking and yelling. Dib realized he was crying when his face started burning, and the pink glow from the back of his head that he’d grown accustomed to flared brightly. 

Grabbing the container, Dib ran from the room, from the school, wheeling the container behind him. His face was burning, and he was shaking, but he paid it no mind; all he could hear as he ran was a low buzzing filling his ears- well, what was left of them.

After leaving the glass container in the shed, Dib ran into his house, looking for his dad. He wanted somebody to hold him, to tell him he was right, that he wasn’t crazy. But Professor Membrane was nowhere to be seen. All there was to show he’d been there was a not on the fridge, telling Dib he’d gone to do “Damage Control”, and admonishing him for the “stunt he pulled with the rubber alien.” 

The fridge a smoking heap of scrap behind him, Dib paces around the house, walking through each room over and over. Eventually, his gaze landed on the mirror in the hallway, andhis reflection. It was… awful. Where wa his nose, his ears? What happened to his skin? And all around his head, where skin met Pak- it was horrifying. 

The tinkling of shattering glass ringing in his ears, Dib laid in bed for days, curled into a ball, sick to his stomach. Eventually, however, he was told he had to return to school. Nomatter how hard he protested that he had nothing to learn from those fools, Membrane would not be swayed.

And so Dib found himself walking down the halls of his school once again, the jeering of his classmate cacophonous. It was quickly drowned out by that same low buzzing again. It grew louder and louder, until Dib thought for sure everyone must be able to hear it.

When Dib felt a spitball splat against his coat, he also felt something inside him snap. He turned on his classmates, arms hanging limp at his sides. He barely noticed the sleek metal appendages jutting from the Pak on the back of his head. The screams of his peers, however, he did notice.

A grin on his face, Dib walked back out of the school before first period even started. He knows now what he needs to do- if one alien wasn’t enough proof for them, maybe a whole armada, a whole species would be. And what better way to catch bugs than with a bug zapper?

Weeks pass, Dib working away in the lab under Zim’s old base. Gir lies deactivated in a corner, scrapped for parts. Computer has been muted, practically turned off. Only still active at all for Dib’s convenience.

But this would be it! This would show them all! He’d destroy all of the Irken Scum, once and for all, and they’d see. They’d all see. They’d have to there’d be no other option theyd have to love him theyd have to what else could they do he’d have saved them he would have because he had to have because if he did all this and they didnlt love him then he’d have done it all for nothing

And then it was done, the device was done, he named it the Zapper yes very good name, and the first Irken to fall to it had died so quickly there hadnt even been a fight, no fun at all, but now he had a ship he could get to their precious Massive he could destroy it destroy it all watch it burn watch it all burn scatter the ashes across the cosmos further and further and further

Theyd love him theyd see theyd have to theyd love him theyd admire him theyd see he was right all along theyd have to 

It was ready it was time he was ready to go, he’d do it hed show them he was done he just had to ge-

  
  


“Dib? Dib,are you down here?” Membrane’s voice cut through the haze, the voices crowding Dib’s head, the cacophony the noise the screeching the

“Dib, please, we’re worried about you,” he heard Gaz say- really heard, fully aware of his surroundings now. Looking around, he realized everything was a complete mess.

“Worried? Worried… You’re worried… Are you worried? Are you worried?” Dib asked, the words tumbling from his lips, too many too fast, scrambled, not right, rusty, dissuesed, out of practice, needed more words different words needed-

“Of course we are! That… that thing on your head, its hurting you, please, I can remove it,” he heard Membrane say. Thing on his head what thing only thing on his head was the Pak yes the Pak the Pak good thing proof yes its proof remove the proof? Why remove the proof why why take the proof? Take the proof! They were trying to take his proof!

“No! No! No! You can’t have it! It’s mine! Get your own proof!” Dib shouted, scrambling backwards, away from Gaz and Membrane, away from the thieves the thieves wanted to take his proof wanted to take it couldnt let them take it

Why why couldnt let them take it? Why why why wasnt it bad why was it on him

It was his proof, he needed it, he needed it, they couldnt take it

Yes yes yes his proof he needed it they cant have it they cant have it its his proof, proof soon he’d have all the proof all of it, every single alien all of them 

“-b please we’re- -bout you you’re acti-please let us help you” their voices were messed up why were they talking like that to much too much get rid of it get rid of it get rid of it

Quiet quiet is good quiet was nice quiet couldn’t take his proof, quiet was nice and read red red red shiny red turned brown brown was nice brown wouldnt take his proof, brown just stayed where it was when he left, because he left because he left beacause its ready its ready it goes Zap Zap Zap bugs go Splat Splat Splat

It was wrong it was bad all his proof was gone, all of everything was gone, it was so loud but now it was so quiet, so quiet, too quiet, dark too dark no light no stars no sky, just the glow the warm glow the good glow, telling him telling him build build build make make make revenge revenge revenge revenge on who/ revenge on them them them yes them the them get rid of the them yes build new Zapper get all the themes everywhere build better zapper Zapper go Zap Zap Zap

Its not quiet anymore theres someone someone someone A THEM A THEM A THEM build build build disguise? Yes disguise make them think hes a them disguise words? Yes need words need better words need words need words build it all- THE THEM CAN HELP HIM BUIL! YES yes yes make the them help him build yes yes 

So many themes so many themes but they’re all so many how tell the themes apart how how how NUMBERS yes numbers make the themes be numbers, numbers were nice numbers didnt tae his proof numbers yes hes 1 hes number 1 hes the very best the best the best better than any Them, then theres 2 aND 3 AND 4 and 5 and so many Thams build build build new Zapper new Zapper get rid of all the Thems

  
  


A him? A him! Friend? Yes! Words words words, clarity  ~~ make the Zapper  dont forget the Zapper ~~

  
  
  


The Him was a Them! A them! Traitorus Them! Wanted to destroy his Zapper get rid of his proof get rid of it all! 

  
  


Quiet quiet quiet quiet so so quiet quiet again his Zapper gone his proof gone only the Proof Proof left yes Proof his Proof His Proof no one could everrrr take 

  
  


Too quiet too quiet too quiet

  
  
  
  
  
  


He missed the Thems

**Author's Note:**

> Zib mind said "*shattering glass noises*"


End file.
